How would you expect a city like Liverpool to have changed as its population increased from 35,000 to 555,000 people?

I'm going to assume you mean "conservative view of government" in modern American politics.  If so, the best answer would be:

In American political life, "conservatism" means wanting to conserve and preserve the ideals of the founding fathers of the country.  So a primary concern is the protection of the "inalienable rights" of citizens (to quote a phrase from the Declaration of Independence).

Further explanation:

Be aware that the term "conservative" has meant different things at different times in history.  In 19th century Europe, "conservative" and "liberal" were first coming into vogue as terms for political viewpoints. What "conservative" and "liberal" meant then was different from what those terms mean in politics today.  19th century conservatives wanted to conserve and preserve the historic traditions of government and society. For societies like France and elsewhere on the continent of Europe, that meant going back to monarchs in control of government, as things had been before the French Revolution. Liberals were those who favored liberty for individuals, with greater rights and freedoms.

America was founded on the ideas and ideals of 18th and century movements that leaned in the direction of liberalism -- or the promotion of individual liberties.  So in America's context today, being "conservative" tends to mean preserving those libertarian roots from the time of our country's founding.